RE: Sensor Drones (was: Lasers can't be defended against?)

On Thu, 27 Apr 2000, Bell, Brian K wrote:

> > From:	Nyrath the nearly wise [SMTP:nyrath@clark.net]
> > 
> > Popeyesays@aol.com wrote:
> > > << Heh.  I remember in the old E.E."Doc" Smith LENSMAN novels
> > >	  (circa 1940) they use magnesium "star shells" in their space
> > >	  battles, in order to illuminate the combatants in the
> > >	  darkness of deep space.
> > >	>>
> > > "Doc"'s PhD was in Agricultural Chemistry - not physics.
> > 
> >	But he was on the right track.
> >	If putting a searchlight on your ship makes the ship a
> >	big fat target, you put searchlights on expendable drones
> >	that can move away from your ship then illuminate the
> >	battle area.
> > 
> >	Not only that, something like a star shell would be
> >	harder for the enemy to extinguish than a mechanical
> >	search light.  (trouble is, it is unidirectional.
> >	Therefore it could very well illuminate *you* as well)
>
> [Bri] I believe you meant omnidirectional. Unidirectional is
> one-directional.

indeed. perhaps this is an application for those bomb-pumped x-ray
lasers
we all know and love? rather than setting them off next to your enemy
and
trying to blow him up, you set them off in the middle of nowhere and use
them to illuminate him. indeed, you can combine the two. shoot
x-ray-tipped missiles at him, and if any miss (which they will), they
can
use their otherwise wasted warheads to improve your data so that their
successors will do better. the further out your aim is, the more you
miss,
the more iluminators you have, the more data you get, and the faster
your
aim improves. bonus!

of course, most of your missiles will be shot down before they have a
chance to do anything at all. :(

tom